1. Field of the Invention
The present invention broadly relates to space vehicle separation systems and, more particularly is concerned with an assembly for mechanically attaching a re-entry vehicle to a booster with a high preload level of force which is releasable in a smooth, gradual manner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many re-entry vehicles must be attached to their boosters with a high preload level of force. The high preload level is required for these vehicles in order to maintain a stiffness level between the vehicle and its booster sufficient to avoid production of dangerous levels of vibration therein as the vehicle or missile assembly is subjected to shock and vibration during launch and flight. The patents to Smith, U.S. Pat. No. 2,653,504; Rabenhorst, U.S. Pat. No. 3,431,854; Bixby, U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,570; and Gardner U.S. Pat. No. 3,910,154, relate to various assemblies for rigidly connecting components, such as separate missile stages and the like, together and then utilizing either explosive force and/or hydraulic pressure for actuating separation of the connected components.
In many cases, however, it is necessary to release the preload force on the connected components in a gradual manner before separating them so that the preload force itself will not deliver an unacceptably high shock load to the components. Various devices have been used to accomplish this task, including hydraulically-operated nuts which release the preload force in increments. However, hydraulically-powered mechanisms tend to be complicated and adversely affected by environmental conditions such as variations in temperature. Therefore, a need exists for a mechanism which facilitates controlled release of high preload force levels on components so as to avoid deleterious shocks and vibrations therein while, at the same time, operating reliably and uniformly over the normal temperature range encountered by such components.